Starting a Business in Dubai: From Corporate Life to Full-Time Entrepreneur

Ready to make the leap from corporate to entrepreneur? Join host Jamilia Grier as she sits down with Farah Alkhateeb, Founder and CEO of eGreen Badge, who transformed from a corporate business development professional to a successful Dubai-based entrepreneur tackling the UAE's waste management challenges.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How to recognize and act on entrepreneurial opportunities while working corporate
• The power of creative thinking in business problem-solving
• Essential mindset shifts needed for the corporate-to-entrepreneur transition
• Practical networking strategies for building a business in Dubai
• How to leverage your corporate skills in your startup journey
• Daily practices for maintaining focus and overcoming entrepreneurial challenges

Farah shares her authentic journey from being someone who "just wanted a job" to building an AI-powered recycling solution that's gaining traction with major partners in Dubai. She reveals the exact moment she decided to take the leap, how she navigated the early challenges, and why creativity is your secret weapon as an entrepreneur.

Perfect for corporate professionals considering entrepreneurship, anyone looking to start a business in Dubai, or entrepreneurs seeking inspiration on persistence and problem-solving.

Connect with Farah: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farahalkhatib/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ferah_khatib/

Follow the show: Subscribe for more entrepreneurship insights from a global perspective

Transcript

0:01

What's up guys. Welcome to the Jamilia Grier show. I am your host Jamilia Grier. And on this podcast, we talk about all things entrepreneurship through a global lens. And today we are talking about creativity for entrepreneurs. And I'm joined with a very special guest who is Farah AlKhateeb She's also one of my good friends out here in Dubai. She is the founder and CEO of E Green Badge. Farah, welcome to the show. Hi, Jamilia. Thank you for having me. It's so great to have you on and you and I have had, you know, limited interactions, but they've always been so deep. And so I thought you would be the perfect person to talk about creativity um because of your background. But I wondered if at the start, can you just tell our listeners a little bit about you, where you're from and how you got to arrive in Dubai? Okay, so yeah, my name is Farah. I'm turning 38 in July. I have been in Dubai for the last 10 years. I came in 2015 because my ex-husband got an offer, so we decided, why not? Let's grow new opportunities. And I stayed unemployed for six months. Then I started my career journey in Dubai. And... After like eight years, I decided that there's a problem I want to solve, which is the waste problem in Dubai. It's a big problem, but it was also my problem because I'm a person who do recycling and I'm self-interest in environment activity, say. So yeah, and then I decided, you know what, I'm going to find a solution for this problem. And there were my entrepreneur journey started. And 2022, I took this decision. Wow, and so you were originally working in business development, right, on that side, and then you saw this problem and kind of decided to lean over into this entrepreneurship side. How did you know? What was the moment where you realized, I'm actually gonna do this? So the thing is that if you ask any of my friends that know me since before, like Farah, if you say that for them, they will say no way. Because I was this person that, me a job, I will do it, and that's it. I don't want to do finance and all what entrepreneurship about. was like, because I'm I mean, you know, we talked also about this. I like to paint, to write. So I was like, you know, I have my passion and creativity there on the other side. Now let's do this job and get some money, you know? But this is what's amazing about entrepreneurship, really. Like when you hear people's story and you're not there, you don't realize, but it's always about like, you feel that, know what? I can solve this problem and no one is solving it. Or I can bring this product in this way and no one is doing it. So the feeling of, you know, I want to do this not because I'm interested in creating a business, you know, or having my own business. It was because I was really passionate about this specific problem. And from there, wow, it was like a realization that no, it's more fun even for me, you know, like for my personality. was like, why I didn't think about that before, you know, because also like, like, Entrepreneurs come in different ages, mostly people in 20s, excited, risk taker, let's do it. When you are 35 years old and you want to do this, you have a family, you have commitment, it's even harder. But for me, it was really fun and still fun. I can tell you're passionate about it. I mean, I remember that evening that we were talking about this idea, and I'd love to get into what eGreen badge is. We were talking about this idea, and your face lit up. You were like, I'm going to do this. And then have you ever noticed there's no recycling solutions in Dubai? And all these drop shipping and other apps that we use, we use every day. And I think that's a really important point, too, before we get into what eGreen badge is. Dubai is a place where people are ordering so much on their phone and online. And we consume, consume, consume. And you saw that issue. So tell us about what eGreen Badge is and what the solution actually is. Okay, so eGreenBudge is an integrated solution, so it has more than one component in it. It's a system. But let's start with the application, which is for consumer, which is the solution that I wanted to myself, to be able to recycle all my recyclables. So eGreenBudge is an application, people in Dubai can download it. And they, uh through AI feature inside the app, they can scan their deliveries, their recyclables through the app camera. And the app will look and read all their ways that they want to send for recycling. And after the recyclables are looked, then they can access map feature and find the nearest bin to them. So because also that was a hustle for me. Whenever I move from house to house, I need to find the recycling. It was not an easy task. So the thing is to create convenience for them and to create a system for the data to flow on it. So I can use it on my B2B side from the system. But for the consumer, it's you have the application, you stand your waste, you drop it in the right place, and you take points. And we give you rewards for these points. We give you discounts on shopping, on hotels, on, you know, it's more of like entertainer style, like. to motivate people, like yellow recycle more and then you will, so for example, you are eligible to redeem this award. So this is eGreenBadge application. And then on the other side also, because I'm creating this data collection system, I have my dashboard where like businesses and government can access data to help them in ESG reporting, like circularity, insight, um on that side, like in a very simple word, this is what eGreenBadge is. It's amazing. so, you know, it's funny that you mentioned this whole system of where to find the recycling points, because I can remember growing up um in Connecticut. Every weekend, my father would say, like, OK, it's time to do the bottles and cans. And so what we did was we'd go into the garage. We had like a little bin and we take all of the and maybe not every week and maybe like once every two weeks, take all the bottles and cans, go to the grocery store. Mmm. put them in the machine and get five cents for every bottle and can. And that was our incentive to get some money for it. But I noticed that Dubai didn't have, like you said, now you're creating this reward system. Do you think this is also an education process where now you're rewarding people, but you're also educating them on the importance of recycling? Exactly, exactly. mean, there is some application where you can go to the mall and put the plastic bottles, but the focus is only on plastic bottles. The idea that about Igrim Baj, like the uniqueness, say eh that it's focused on all waste categories and especially the delivery package waste, these big cardboard, you know, like that you don't know what to do with them. And our approach is to educate them, first of all, how to deal with these recyclables, how to put them at home in oh like in a corner that you don't need to go and drop it every day, for example. is one. Two, also to communicate, eh whenever I went, I remember when I started to work on eGreenBadge ID and I went to people in the industry, no, no, no, don't handle this consumer behavior. This is challenge. Go B2B, do something else. It's not about doing something. It's about doing this. I want to do this. And then I went... em Also, because again, my background, I worked in digital marketing agency. I'm a writer eh on the creative side, let's say. um Now, what we are working on on AgriMatch is really a communication strategy, how to talk with people in Dubai, how to touch point in their consumer behavior. Because at the end of the day, Dubai, fast city, convenient, people want convenience. It's not about they don't care about the environment, but they don't know that it matters that much if they care, you know? So the idea is to put like a really, let's say, a clear communication to each and every segment of the people who live in Dubai, you know? And I would like to mention this, one of them, so one of them, it's people who are like interested in taking environment advocate, let's say, okay? One of them who like rewards, you know, like, let's get this discount, let's get that discount. And then the like most of them are, let's say the one match will think that everyone in Dubai has that we really appreciate money. We appreciate like what the city is giving us, the fine life and like these things. So what we are working on now is a communication message to tell people waste is money. Don't waste it. like to create this feeling, sense of responsibility. You know what? I don't want to throw the recyclable in the bin. I want to recycle it because if I did that, um I'm losing money. The country is losing money. And if I did the right thing, I will get money, my country, my city, you know? So it's more of a communication way to approach it. I like how you mentioned that you kind of leaned on your background in biz dev and creative writing and just this creativity to further kind of boost certain things that you needed for the business. So you needed this communication strategy and so you leaned on those assets. And I wanna talk a little bit about how did you know that you even had that, right? So it doesn't just come, it's not like you just wake up and you're like, boom, I have a skill, let me use this skill. Tell us about the process of how you uncovered these skills and how you could use it for your business. Okay, so I mean, you're right. It's an exploration journey to discover what you really have. So for example, one of the skills I didn't know I had before, which is like strategic thinking, you we always read about it, na na na. And then, um like going through some challenging, trying to do this and trying to do that, em I started to come like with... uh more convenient solution to the situation. So, Green badge idea was something and because every challenge popped in my face, I started to work on it in a different way to make it happen. Because for me, think this is like my ticket, was my ticket to be here today is I took, uh I didn't take no for an answer. It's not that it will not happen, it will happen in another way. Maybe I need to figure it out in a different way, you know? I mean, all these things, at the end of the day, it's a mindset, like to be open, you know? But then if you are open, you will start to see that you are acting with the situation in certain way and, hmm, so I know how to do this. So this is a skill, you know? And the thing is, when you are aware that you have one skill, you can improve it more because you can start using it. with a label, you know, like when you put the label on it, you can even eh improve it more. For like for my creativity, let's say like I know, you know, like I love to paint, I love to write, you know, I love these things. And when I put a green badge as an idea, even if it's thick, you know, eh but I never felt it's rigid. I always felt that I can like make it, you know, like Because I am the founder, I am the CEO. the thing is that your startup is a little bit your mirror. If you are flexible, if you are creative, it will reflect on it, even if it's a system, even if it's the client, government, businesses, corporate. But then on the other side, the consumers also like part of my segment, they are me, you, our kids, like everyone around. So I don't know if I answered your question, but. You did, you did and you gave me so much more because, okay, so the first thing that you said that really stands out is this idea that we are the creator. And you talked about how... when you paint or when you write, you're used to it being flexible and it being malleable. It's something that you can shape and your business should be the same way. And I think so many of us, I'm guilty, first of all, I'm guilty of everything that I say on this show. Everything that I say wrong, I've done it before. We create, right, this is how we learn. We create a business plan. em And we're like, okay, I'm gonna do step one, step two, step three, step four. And we plan out like all these years, right? They say create a five-year plan. And if something doesn't go that way, people get frustrated or they quit. And it's very stressful and it's just, it's very disappointing. Mm. what I've recently learned, and when I say recently, I mean like in the last few months, is this flexibility through creativity is part of who we are as human beings. I was reading, so uh Rick Rubin has a book called The Act of Creating or The Act of Creativity. And he mentions that uh this skill of creating as an entrepreneur or as an artist is a living thing. you actually part of you that is living. So as you learn, as you grow, as your business learns and grows, all of these are connected and they're all growing in some sort of way. And I see that with you, with what you've spoken about, and also with myself as well. And so I just wanted to kind of underline that for the listeners. Exactly, yeah, because like everything is energy. mean, this is like how I look at things and the creativity is energy. So like when you find it and then you create the space for it to add, it will grow more, you know, and it will be like part of everything you do, you know. uh One other thing I wanted to say, you we talk a lot about building a business abroad, building a business outside of one's home country. these moves, these international moves, when you change a country, it also changes you. And I was speaking to another founder and she was saying that she feels as though she's lived so many different lives. Mmm. each move she's done something different and she's been someone different. And so what would you say to someone who's listening that is contemplating moving but also wants to start a business and kind of, know, there's a lot going on in the head. um What would you say in response to this idea of a new life as you move and as you build a business? So, I mean, like as you said, so the idea is when we decide that, you know, like we want to move to another country, this is about like, we are creating a space for the new Farah, for example, for a new Jamaila, know, for a new manifestation to happen, you know, in our life. like traveling up road, it's creating a space and then having a business is creating like another space inside this space. I will say, mean follow your heart, if you have a calling that there's something you want to do, that means you have the space for it, you know? Because if you don't, you will not see it, you will not feel it, it will not pop in front of you. em I mean, and I always like say, like it's a universal law for me that, I mean, if something popped in your life or if you have a calling inside your heart, make sure you are like capable of doing it. Because if not, you will not see it, you know? Because for me, these things come because we already created space for them. And as you said, so this is the other founder, friend. So the idea is I felt like I lived so many lives. Wow, I mean, for me, I like to have this feeling, you know? Like to feel that I did all these experiences around. I mean, it makes me feel happy and fulfilled, you know? And when I'm tired, it's OK. I will sit here and chill a little bit, you know? But if I feel I want to do something, I want to do it, know, and take the step with it. You mentioned creating the space for the new you. I have an idea of what that might look like, but can you tell us a little bit more? Like, what do you mean when you say create the space for this new life or this new opportunity, what it will be? So what I mean is that for example now um I live in Dubai and I decided that I want to travel to another country or to do another business. I decided that I want to do something. So when you decide to do something and then it's... It's inside your head only. It's something unmanifested. will just make you overthink that, oh my god, I didn't do this, I didn't do that. But when you do it and you take a decision, then you are creating the space for something to happen. So this is the first step for you. And then you go there and you have the space. You just need to play in it, to do what you're good at. This is what I meant. I love that. um So you said take a decision and that really resonates with me. just sharing a bit. Recently, I've felt like, you know, should I continue with my podcast as I shared, I shared with you, you know, like this pivot or should maybe I go back and do more legal and tech stuff, right? And you know, there's always a decision in entrepreneurship about Am I going to have a job or am I going to go full time and what that actually looks like? And I found that the more stubborn you are, the more persistent and insistent you are on what it is that you're creating. That is a decision that is creating a space for the new you. Like if I were to call up colleagues at previous employment places and say, hey, I'm looking for something, I'm sure. I'm sure I'd find something. I'm sure I could go back and be the corporate baddie that I was. Yeah. That is not the direction that I want to move in. And so I think you're spot on when you say take a decision. It really resonates with me. And sometimes those are tough decisions for people. It could be not just professional, but it could be personal as well. Maybe there's a relationship or something that you kind of have to let go of and be like, OK, I'm taking a decision and you're not part of it. And you said the two magical words, like take a decision and then consistency and like to be em persistent of this decision. mean, because again, like I'm a person who like to use word energy a lot, you know, so that the energy of decision and like to be consistent on something. em They say that this energy, it's very powerful that it will will go through your past, will go through your doubts because when you take a decision, it's very powerful. When you really take a decision, you're just seeing where you're going to. So these are the two magical words for me. Take a decision and just keep doing it. Now I've seen that even since when you kind of told me we had that, we had like a very casual chat when I was dropping off my daughter at your house and you were saying, yeah, I'm thinking of starting this thing. And it seemed to me at least like an outsider's perspective that things snowballed very quickly from that moment. Like all of a sudden I saw you on LinkedIn, you're like, hey, we're here, we outside, we're here. Like you're in like all these events and you're just kind of showing up. uh You had new partners that were signed and everything and I think that's also the result of this like I took a decision and this is the way that we're going for better for worse. I'm going this way uh Did you did you find that thing? one thing on this? Because I mean, it is happy and when I look at it, like it looked dreamy. And when you you talk about it like this, but of course, also like for the listeners, like it was not easy, you know, like it take a lot of, you know, like, cannot do it anymore. No, I want so taking the decision and be like on it. That doesn't mean that you are all the time, you know, on the same treadmill speed, you know. That means that you almost give up and then you push yourself again because you took this decision and you want to really make it. And also at the end of the day, we need to be compassionate with ourselves because sometimes some moments came to me and I was like, you know what, I don't want to do this anymore. I'm tired. I have so many things on my plate. And especially new ideas. A lot of people put you down. A lot of people like... not a lot, little bit of people will tell you, yeah, go for it, but the other crowd is saying, no, this is not gonna happen, no, no, no. So it is not easy, but it's amazing when you do it because then you will look back and you will be like looking at yourself, wow, I like what I did, know, like I kept going, you know. When you were, after you took that decision, did you find that opportunities kind of just showed up or things just aligned for you? I mean, of course you were working hard and you were pushing, but some of the things, I'm like, dang, how'd she get there? You're like, hey, you're at, I think it was Amazon, it was some partner. I was like, wow, this is amazing. Can you tell us a little bit about, are there any like synchronicities or coincidences that happened? tell you a very nice story. So this started to happen, of course, like after maybe eight months just working and trying to open all these doors. And because my project take a lot of connection, need people, need decision makers to go and sit with them. And I tried to get referrals and it was not working all the time. So what I used to do that I used to drive my car. And like for example at Amar, asked about this title, go to the municipality, asked, this is my name, this is my hat, can I meet this one? Okay, can I make a meeting with them like this? And I remember one of the day I went to the Dubai Chamber of E-commerce and I went and I saw the lady in the reception, I told her, please, I need to meet someone in this team. I know the team that I want to go to. And she said, we can't, you need to book an appointment. Okay, can you just call her now on the phone? I want to take a talk with her for one minute. And she was like, you sent the email and I'm like, she was discussing that it's a no. Then a lady came from the elevator and this lady was in that team. And the reception said, like, can you come talk with this lady? She's asking about one of your team. And from the Dubai Champer helped me in a way like you cannot imagine. They gave me a stage I talked about in the sustainability week about Yigrim Baj, and from there things started to, you know, the, what do you call it? Like cherry action, let's say, you know, like started to really happen, you know? So it take, the way, a lot of self-belief. You know, like I'm going there and I will find someone to talk with, you know? And this is my, I believe in this. It's not about believe that I can do stuff. I also believe that today I want to reach to someone there. you know, or be in this organization or this client, I will open the door with them. So it takes a lot of like energy work, let's say, you know, like to put inside all these little milestones. And also don't forget to celebrate your winning. So I celebrate always like I go home, yalla, where's my friend? Let's do something. I did this today, you know, I also need to give this to myself. Yeah, it's a relationship you and your startup, know. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Exactly. And you you talk about like confidence. And then but you also talk about like, you know, this this relationship that you have with yourself to fuel that confidence. And, you know, some of our listeners are in corporate roles right now. And they are just like, I would love to do something like that. but maybe they don't have the practices. So I know you've got practices, you've got the mindfulness. Tell us some of the things that you do on a daily basis to be mindful and to get to the space where you can kind of I guess, plant that confidence in yourself. So, uh for this year, mean, it's a new routine. So let me tell you about the before, because before I used to, I do Kundalini yoga a lot. I do breath works and I put intention and I do visualization during the breath and the meditation. So, the last five years, like meditation and breath work helped me a lot. Even if there is a challenge, if there is some emotion blockage, I used to... to work with myself through meditation and meditation and the breath work and journalizing. So I do a lot of journaling, you know, and I do like, for example, like one of the nice things I like to talk about. I, every December, let's say, I give a name for the next year. So I will, I will call it, for example, like last year, I called it alignment 2024. was the year of alignment. because I wanted to remind myself that I want to be aligned to my purpose, to me, to the way I like to be. So during all 2024, the word alignment reflected a lot in my mind and everything happened. there was like always this voice remind me, this is not it, focus a little bit more. not, you know. So it empowered me in a way because I put intention and I named the year with this name, you know. So this is one of the practices I like to talk about. For now, I don't do breath work like before. I'm very busy, you know, but it's not also that. It's that when you practice like breathing and meditation for long time, I can sit now, you know, like before, for example, before our podcast, I'll sit a little bit and I'll breathe from my heart and then I'm ready for you. I created the space, for example. Because your body will be like the resistance gun, you know, because I have been practicing a lot. So whenever I breathe really like deep breath, know, feeling peaceful, then I can, you know, go to do presentation, to make a speech, you know, like it will easy these. Even if I have a task that I'm not sure how I want to do it, an email that I'm not sure how I need to, you know, put it, then I will also like close my eyes for 30 seconds only, you know. So the routine that I used to do like 40 minutes meditation every day, now I can do it here and there whenever I want. But I still like to do, for example, full moon, new moon. These things are special, know, so I'll dedicate like 40 minutes for them, you know. But every day, no, now I'm not doing it. But it's good to practice it because you will train your mind how to. stop and drop, know, like to be clear and focused, you know, at any time. You said that that year is the year of alignment and I saw that so much as an outsider watching you and watching the things that were happening in your life. It seemed as though you were just walking on a path and the GPS was already set. Like you were just like, okay, like that's that's the outside. I know I know I'm making it sound very easy and it wasn't but. I saw and perceived and even felt. I was like, wow, well, dang, like I'm telling you. It seemed as though the alignment was there. And um I also want to say for the listeners, uh journaling, I started doing that as well. I started doing that probably last year and maybe even after a couple of conversations with you. It's so powerful. And particularly for someone who's like a beginner, I would say, someone who previously wasn't mindful, didn't really take time to think about what am I thinking about? Like to stop and say, okay, what is actually on my mind? How do I feel right now? Like some of us don't even know how we feel. Like that's the point that we're at, Farah. Like some people don't even know how we feel. And like to write it down and say, today, I feel X because this happened to me. Like we're constantly receiving so much from social media and external stimuli that we are detached from who we are. So I think that's a really great uh exercise or practice for people to start journaling. Because first of all, it's a medium to release. So when you write, you release that because it's a kind of expression. So when you write, you're releasing this emotion, or a little bit of it at least, the emotional charge. And then the second thing, because you said, I feel like this, why you ask yourself, say in the journal. And then when you answer why, and then you ask why again, And then you will be like aware of some automatic thoughts that may be coming from limited belief, know, like even you will start to unpack what really, you know, no longer serve to let it go, for example. So it's very powerful. It is so powerful, yeah. And the breathing as well, because this is something that um I think this is like stage two. So I started doing some of this too, although I'm definitely not a 40 minute meditation person. I think I still have a lot of uh busyness, I like to call it. You'll invite me to get my meditation stamina up. then you decide if you are or you are not true, true, right? We shouldn't say that we're not something we shouldn't, I'm working towards that. um But yeah, a lot of busyness in the mind when really like kind of what you said is like when you're able to focus on where it is that you want to go and focus on the positive things. then that's where you will be headed. And so for entrepreneurs or people who are listening to this and feel like, you know, things are maybe not going right or they're not sure what to do. These are some really helpful tips I'd say to kind of get you back on track. In your work as an author, so we want to talk a bit about that, um and as an artist, you said, paint a bit, but you're an artist, girl, you are. I see the creativity in the art in you. um Do those also serve as outlets for creativity for your business? Is there any connection between the work, the artistic sort of work that you do and the business side of things? So I feel yes, I mean, um so like to be honest, to be honest on the art, like painting, like artist type, I don't know why, maybe I should work on this, but I don't feel myself that I can, for example, as a scenario, as writing, I do, create a scenario for the video, for the social media, for Ygrim Baj, for the communication campaign, for example. So to create it as a vision in my head, yes. But for example, to decide the colors of the logo, to decide the, you know, like when it comes to the visual of it, like me, like I don't really, I leave space for the designers, but what do you think? What do you think? I keep asking them. But when it's the story, the scenario, no, no, no, no, I want to do it this because of this. So it's more confident in, you know, like. And you just said, mean, thank you for that. Like you've seen me an artist, but for me, painting, I still don't see myself also that way. Like I'm that much good, you I know I'm very good writer, you know? And I write like in a very, let's say artistic and creative way. So I have confidence in that. So I put it in the green badge. But because the painting side, so I try to be, you know, like just, okay, what do you think? Like this. Okay, just a little hiccup with the internet, but it's okay. We'll fix that later. uh I wanted to ask you really on the side of coming to Dubai and starting a business. And of course, you lived here for a number of years before you started your business. But as you know, as we experience every day with the roads becoming more crowded, that so many people are thinking of moving here to start a business. If you could give three... tips or three pieces of advice to someone who's considering moving to Dubai to start a business, what would it be? So the first advice I will give, it's not Dubai, first of all it's you. So if you really believe that you can do this business and you want to do it and you will add value, this is the first step. Don't come to Dubai because of Dubai, this can happen or I will be more comfortable. So you should be really happy and excited to this business with yourself. And then you choose Dubai because yeah, it will give you more space. So what I mean is like you create the space first for that and then come with your space here. Don't come like putting a lot of expectation because at the end of the day, you don't know how you will come and go to find. This is the first thing. The second thing eh is the second tip is. em Like, do a lot of connection, attend a lot of events. The amazing thing about Dubai is networking is easy. You can really be in these events. just register. Even a lot of them are for free, whatever your industry is. Just search for these events, these keynotes that people with big positions uh are there. You can, first of all, learn from them. Second of all, you can talk with them. easily you know in the event like so many of my connections I met them like CEOs of big corporate in Dubai you know and I met them in the event like just introduce yourself and and and you will like you will you will get like great opportunity and number three share your idea with people with an open mind like any like don't try to argue no no but this is no try to listen because they will they will tell you a lot how to optimize your idea how to bring it from one to two and from two to three if you really listen. Listen because anyone even if they want to criticize or only I'm sure I'm sure you can like if you are smart enough and you are listening good enough you can find you know like a tip you can find a new door maybe or a new opportunity or new improvement for your start. It's amazing. people, I think you're right, people don't have much of an idea of what it's like to live in a place until they finally go. And so this idea of having that business or that dream or that having that space with you first before you go. um that. Dubai is full of surprises, I will say. Two years in, when I finished my second year, I was like, I still don't feel settled. I still didn't. I think you asked me, so how do you feel? I still don't feel settled. ah So it's good to kind of keep those expectations at bay and focus on yourself. Exactly. Like give the power. I always say give the power to yourself. I mean, guess it's tough to kind of... Do you think for women entrepreneurs in Dubai that it is somewhat of a challenge in any way to make it here and to be successful? I mean, I mean, I mean, it's different. Like, among challenges are different than the women challenges. But that doesn't mean that women has more. For me, I didn't feel at one single place that because I am a woman. No, maybe I felt like I'm more privileged a little bit because I mean, if you're sweet and you're a woman and I like, you know, like things flow easily, you know, because like also like our feminine energy, it's different than the men when they talk together. When a lady come and start a composition, it's easier to create a connection to do it. For me, I felt like now when you ask me, I'll say, no, maybe it's the opposite. It's good to be a woman. Of course, it's amazing. But I mean, in the startup also, yeah. I gotta start using some of that to my advantage. I'm actually taking notes. So you're coaching me a bit now. And speaking of coaching, you also offer coaching for people who tell us about the coaching and the mentorship that you offer. Okay, so I started this in you by the way this year I started I have now four like my first four clients that say I'm coaching them. So what I do is because I told you eh I am like Kundalini yoga practitioner like I have been practicing like this Kundalini for the last five years and I'm a CPT also certified like cognitive behavior therapy. So what I did this, and I'm a person who reads a lot of books, know, like, so I put the three of these together and I created my own, let's say, way of coaching where we work on, like I work on with kindling and cognitive behavior therapy. So for example, cognitive behavior therapy to like to identify the limiting belief and understand what really like. Blocking you from achieving your goal. So because also it's more of a business So like for example you come and you tell me for these are my goals and I'm stuck or I I'm doing it But I'm not enjoying doing it. I'm stressed. No, no, So it's more about like what where you want to go and how you want to go there? You want to go there with you know, or you you are not going there at all. So this is how it starts And then from there, of course, like when you identify limiting belief, then these limiting beliefs are charged with emotion, sometimes from childhood, sometimes from, you know, like not trauma, think trauma is a very big word, but I mean, it's, it's, not big, but some people will reflect it big, so I don't want to use it. So the thing is that we start, we want to release these emotions, to like, to, because to break the limiting belief, you need to release the emotion that charged in this limiting belief. So I do this using breath work and Kundalini. So this is my own recipe, know, like to take this and put it to this. So it's a little bit psychology, meditation, breath work and cognitive behaviour therapy. This is my recipe. This identifying the limiting beliefs is really powerful because we all have them. And like I said, some people are so distracted that we don't even know that we have them. We just carry it around with us our whole life and it impacts our decisions and our relationships. And so really identifying that is super powerful. Exactly and take a lot of courage because also some people will will come and say no, but if I if I let go my limiting belief I will let go myself my personality because sometimes we also This is me. This is how I do things and then and I you know But I always tell people like it's not about this when you break this limiting belief It's that you will be you but instead of acting out of fear stress or you know shame or guilt You will be acting out of love, enjoyment, so it's just, it's you, but the energy inside you, it's like positive energy, not negative, let's say. It's you, but you're not happy, you're light, you know, so, yeah. there one one last question I want to ask you because I'm sure that someone is listening and is saying but I'm not creative and I don't I don't have any artistic skills or I don't have this or I don't have that what would you say to that person who is listening right now and is thinking this sounds great but I don't have I'm not creative I don't have these skills Okay, I will tell them a story about myself. I am creative. I know that I'm creative. Okay. And then I said, I want to do this startup. And by the way, when I wanted to do a green badge, I wanted just to pitch the idea to any company. And then they hire me as project manager. This is, this is what's like my, my, my initial idea before I decided to do it myself. And then a very good friend of mine, he said, Farah, you know what? You can do this. You have the creativity is there. And I was saying, yeah, but I don't have the business. I don't have the man like this mindset of, he said, it's okay, I will give you a book to read. And after I read this book, first of all, I realized that I have it, but I'm not again giving it space for these skills to come. And you know what, I can improve it. I'm already improving it by only reading these pages. So what if I start practicing it? So I will tell them, buy a book about the creativity, read it. And you will connect with the creativity inside you because no, it's not true. You have, everyone has. We have both of them. But we are giving attention to one of them and that's why we see it bigger and then the other one with no attention, it's still small, you know. So you just need to give attention to it. uh I'm hearing you say that everybody has a bit or even more creativity inside them and they just need to tap into it and listen to that. Farrah, thank you so much for being on the show. I wanted to ask you if people want to follow up, if they want to find you, how do they get in touch with you or find where you are online? And so, like, my LinkedIn, my Instagram, you know, like, my email, I'm here. I'm very accessible. So my name, my is... Yeah, my name, I have the links. Yeah, yeah. I shared the links. You can put them. Okay. Thank you so much. I really enjoyed the conversation. I mean, as always, you know. So thank you for having me. And every time I speak to you, I learn a little bit more. And it's almost as though I'm being coached in this session. So thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thanks for joining the conversation today. Thank you. Great. All right, let me hit stop.